Kyikhar Monastery: Eleven-Headed, Eight-Armed Avalokitesvara

CHINA, Tibet, Qamdo

This Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has eight arms and eleven heads arranged in five rows with three heads on the three bottom rows, and two heads by themselves at the top. The figure is adorned with double floral earrings, necklace and bracelets. Two of the hands clasp a wish-fulfilling gem in front of the chest while the remaining six are outstretched to hold various objects. From the top in a clockwise direction: a lotus (missing), a bow (missing), a vase, the varada (wish-granting) mudra, a Dharma wheel (damaged), and some prayer beads (missing).
The Bodhisattva wears a layered skirt that falls in natural folds and is secured with a beaded belt. A stole wraps about the right arms and flows down to the feet before curving up again in a style that is characteristic of late Tibetan sculptures. The nimbus is missing and the aureole is sculpted with a scrolled cloud pattern. Supported on the reversed lotus base is a curved seedpod pedestal that is beaded around the edges.